


The Dog Prince

by JenNova



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fairy Tales, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-15 04:03:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenNova/pseuds/JenNova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The puppy shows up outside Stiles' back door on the first day of his last summer in Beacon Hills. It's probably the cutest dog he's ever seen, wolfish enough that it must be a Husky mix of some kind, and when it tilts its head at him his heart melts. He'd be embarrassed by that but, seriously, cutest puppy ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dog Prince

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr (ages ago) and based on [this](http://brumous.tumblr.com/post/28808291287/well-this-is-awkward-sterek-twist-on-the) art.
> 
> A riff on The Frog Prince, obviously.

The puppy shows up outside Stiles' back door on the first day of his last summer in Beacon Hills. It's probably the cutest dog he's ever seen, wolfish enough that it must be a Husky mix of some kind, and when it tilts its head at him his heart melts. He'd be embarrassed by that but, seriously, cutest puppy ever.

He scratches behind its ears and finds himself fascinated by the cool blue of its eyes. He figures it must belong to someone on the street so tells it to follow him (Come on, Pup) and proceeds to knock his way up and down the block. No-one recognises the puppy and Stiles feels a little kernel of hope settle in his heart.

"Take it to Deaton to get it checked out," Stiles' Dad says before Stiles can even ask. "Then we'll talk about it."

\--

Scott is at the clinic when Stiles gets there and his eyes go big and round when he sees Pup.

"Dude," he says, reaching out to the puppy. It goes shy and presses itself against Stiles' legs. "Your Dad let you get a dog?!"

"Go on," Stiles says to Pup, nudging it gently. "Scott's okay." Pup bounds over to where Scott has crouched down and lets Scott ruffle its fur. "It just showed up in the yard. Dad says we'll talk about it after Deaton checks it out."

"Hello, Stiles," Doc Deaton emerges from the back with a smile for Stiles. "What can I - oh!"

Pup launches itself at Deaton, wagging its tail and pawing at his legs.

"Well," Deaton says, patting Pup briefly on the head. "Aren't you interesting?"

Stiles thinks that interesting is a weird way to put it but he's never had a pet before so he rolls with it as he trails Deaton and Pup into the exam room. Maybe that's what vets always say? He shrugs to himself and lifts Pup onto the table when Deaton motions for him to do it.

"Now," Deaton says. "Let's have a look at you."

\--

Deaton tells Stiles that Pup is a boy and that he's probably about twelve weeks old. Pup's in pretty good condition for a stray so he offers to put a picture of him up in reception in case it turns out Pup's run really far from home. Stiles buys dog food on the way home, and bowls to put it in, and a lead and collar even though he doesn't think Pup really needs them. Pup barely leaves his side.

His Dad lets Pup stay on the condition that Stiles a) pay for his care out of the money Stiles makes working at the coffee place and b) he finds a decent dogsitter for when he leaves for college. Stiles agrees and from that moment on he and Pup are pretty much inseparable.

Stiles is smart enough that he knows he's a bit old to be having so many boy-and-his-dog feelings but Pup is a brilliant dog and he really doesn't care. Pup is smart enough that Stiles doesn't even have to teach him to obey and they never need the leash either. It knocks him out, really, how fast he falls for the not-so-little bundle of fluff.

\--

A couple of weeks later Stiles wakes up from an awful dream to find Pup curled around him, his head resting on Stiles' shoulder. His hand automatically goes to the ruff of hair around Pup's neck and he holds on tight as his breathing evens out. He'd been dreaming about his Mom.

"We were going to get a dog that year," Stiles says, turning his head and speaking into Pup's fur. "The year Mom got sick. I was so excited and so was she and we were going to go to the pound that weekend - but then she went to the Doctor's and came back all shaken and worried and I was only ten but I already knew something was really wrong."

Pup whines softly and huffs at him, his paws pushing at Stiles as if trying to comfort him. Stiles is absolutely not going to cry at his dog being nice to him.

"I was ten," Stiles repeats. "And it - she got really sick, really quick. We never had time to - to get a dog. And then I had to take care of Dad and I was afraid to ask him. So here we are."

Pup shifts under his hands until the dog has his head on Stiles' chest. Stiles can see moonlight reflecting in the uncanny blue eyes and he tightens his grip on Pup's fur. Pup looks so sad, like he knows what Stiles is saying to him and Stiles really is crying. Pup lets him and just - licks the salt tears away from his face when he's done until Stiles is giggling and pushing him away.

"Thank you," he says as he's falling asleep again. Pup makes a noise at him, like he's saying it was nothing, and Stiles hugs the dog to him.

\--

Pup goes missing about a month later and Stiles runs himself ragged trying to find him. Pup's been so good about staying in the yard when Stiles goes to work, and Mrs Fredricks next door always keeps an eye on him anyway, but he gets home one afternoon and Pup isn't there anymore. Mrs Fredricks says she saw him barely half an hour ago.

Stiles looks in all Pup's favourite places and doesn't find him. Something makes him think of the Preserve, even though he's only taken Pup out there once, and he drives out in his Jeep. His heart thunders in his chest as he follows any and all tracks he can find, looking for any sign of Pup at all. He eventually ends up in the burnt out remains of the Hale house, slumped on the decrepit porch and, yes, having a cry to himself.

Suddenly there's a bark and Pup's racing out of the trees towards him. Stiles picks him up, even though he's already ridiculously heavy, and buries his face in Pup's fur. Pup's tail wags frantically and Stiles is shaking so hard he's terrified he's going to drop him.

"Don't do that again," Stiles whispers fiercely before pressing a long kiss against the side of Pup's head.

There's a noise Stiles can only describe later as 'poof', like air molecules being forced to dramatically rearrange themselves, and then he has an armful of incredibly naked, incredibly attractive man.

Stiles is not at all proud of a) the noise he makes when this happens and b) the red-hot flush that heats him head to toe when he realises one of his hands is on this naked guy's butt. He lets go and the guy sort of slides down a bit, as if he's not used to having two legs and holy shit Pup just totally turned into a hot guy and his junk is right there and Stiles feels like his ears are going to catch on fire they're burning so hot.

"Oh my God," he says because, really, there's nothing else to say. He repositions his hands so he's not clutching anything inappropriate and supports the guy.

"Stiles," the guy says, his voice rough and growly because he didn't used to have a voice and Stiles' mouth is moving without permission.

"This is some serious Frog Prince shit going down here," he says and the guy's eyebrows go all frowny and he has no right to do that when he was Stiles' dog right up until five minutes ago.

"Need. Clothes," the guy says, the words slow and heavy. And, yes, he really, really needs clothes. Only Stiles' Jeep is quite far away and it's still daylight so there's still a lot of people on the preserve so. Yeah. Not a good idea to go walkies.

"Stay here!" Stiles says, helping the guy over to the porch. "I'll just - I'll get my Jeep, I'm pretty sure there's some lacrosse kit in there that no doubt stinks like a thousand smelly armpits but will be better than nothing though it probably won't fit because, holy Christ, you are well built which is something I am not paying attention to because you used to be my dog, oh my God."

Stiles runs away, waving his hands over his shoulder, but he still hears the guy make a noise that's something like a laugh behind him.

\--

The guy's name is Derek, and Stiles recognises him as soon as he says it because this is Derek Hale, who'd disappeared after the fire that killed most of his family never to be seen again. He doesn't remember much before turning up as a dog on Stiles' doorstep but he has a feeling he pissed off a witch.

"No shit," Stiles says, looking across at Derek and trying not to notice how tight his old lacrosse jersey is over Derek's shoulders. Derek shrugs.

"After that all I remember is -" Derek stops himself, his cheeks reddening. It's fascinating. "You. I have a lot of memories of you."

Stiles feels his heart turn over in his chest and, really, he thinks he's adjusting to this pretty well, all things considered.

"This isn't some - is this a -" he can't bring himself to say it because the concept of witches is ridiculous and the possibility that spells exist that can be negated by True Love's kiss just makes him hate everything. You can't fall in love with a dog!

"Maybe," Derek shrugs again. "Whatever it is. I. Thank you, Stiles, for looking after me."

"Well," Stiles feels his own cheeks redden. "I wasn't going to leave you there. You were adorable."

"I think," Derek says slowly, leaving that one alone. "I think that it's been a while since someone cared for me. Thank you."

There's a sincerity there Stiles can't quite handle so instead he reaches out and punches Derek on the arm. Derek makes that weird almost-laugh-almost-bark sound again and relaxes back into the seat.

\--

Dad takes Derek's presence surprisingly well, Stiles thinks. Which is when he finds out that one of Dad's old partners met his wife in a similar way and, seriously, when was anyone going to tell him that witches are a thing that exist?

Dad remembers the Hales, remembers Derek, and Stiles idly wonders if Derek's been a 12 week old puppy for eight years or if it's a recent development. Dad sets up the spare room for Derek, happy to let him stay until he figures out what's going on, but Stiles still wakes up most mornings with Derek in his bed.

Old habits die hard, he guesses, and he wouldn't mind except for the part where Derek sleeps naked. Stiles is totally comfortable with his equal opportunity view of sexual attraction but naked Derek is a lot to deal with when he's half awake and sporting morning wood. Sentence purposely left open to interpretation.

It makes for a very weird week and then one day he wakes up to find Derek already downstairs, borrowing the house phone.

“He's remembered,” Dad says, smiling and something sinks in Stiles' heart because he actually doesn't think he's ready for the weirdness to be over.

“My sister,” Derek says when he hangs up and the smile on his face is so soft, so small, that Stiles hates himself for wishing Derek would never remember.

“That's great, man,” Stiles says, clapping him on the shoulder and making an exit stage left before he can betray himself. He has no idea what the hell is going on inside of him, his body feels like it's boiling with emotion, and he sits on the back step and tries desperately hard not to have a panic attack.

Derek comes and sits beside him. After a moment Derek makes a noise and turns, curling himself around Stiles and resting his head on his shoulder. Stiles almost laughs at Derek trying to contort himself into a shape only Pup could pull off but he doesn't because, damn it, it makes him feel better.

“Would you mind,” Derek begins when Stiles finally calms down. “- would you mind if it _was_ a Frog Prince thing?”

And that's the thing. Stiles really, really wouldn't mind. He doesn't know how to say that though so he finds Derek's hand and twines their fingers together, reaching the other hand up to slide into Derek's hair. Derek hums against him, a sound so like something Pup would make that Stiles feels his whole body go soft with it.

Derek lifts his head and kisses Stiles after a moment, hesitant and slightly awkward and very chaste and Stiles breathes out against him. They can figure this out, they can, because, hey, who's Stiles to deny True Love's kiss?


End file.
